A Wee Bit O'Blarney

Did St. Patrick really chase the snakes out of Ireland? 

Or is that story just a bunch of blarney?

According to the tale - way back in the fifth century the legendary priest raised his staff and banished the reptiles into the seas surrounding the Emerald Isle.

Save for those in captivity it is true that Ireland has no snakes.  But this current condition has less to do with religious tradition and more to do with geologic history and events dating many millennia ago.  Following the retreat of the last glaciers some 15,000 years ago Ireland was devoid of snakes.  Surrounded by icy waters - to this very day snakes cannot swim or find their way there and as a consequence Ireland remains snake-free.

That’s too bad as I'm half Irish - give or take - and have a particular fondness for snakes.  The bigger the better.  Like this dandy five foot long Western Fox Snake.

click on image to enlarge

I also like a good saint when I see one and St. Patrick wasn’t even Irish.

Patrick was born of aristocratic blood in Britain probably around the year 390.  The legend says that he was not particularly religious.  At age 16 he was kidnapped into slavery was forced into life as a sheepherder in Ireland.  It is held that it was during this time that he found God and became a believer.

As the story goes he began hearing voices and the voices instructed him to flee.  Which he did.  Patrick eventually found his way back to Britain and his family.  But the voices returned commanding him to return to Ireland.  He was ordained a priest, went back to Ireland and spent the balance of a rather difficult life converting the pagan Celts to Christianity.

He died on March 17, 461 and was promptly forgotten.

Nevertheless, over many years faithful conviction and belief in the story of Patrick grew.  And he grew ever larger after his death than he did in real life.  Hundreds of years after the fact he was honored as Ireland’s patron saint.

So on March 17th we gather to pay homage to the saint that banished the snakes from Ireland.  It is said that on this one day of the year everyone is Irish.

Since I have real Irish blood coursing through my veins I intend to raise a glass of Guinness and toast my ancestors and Saint Patrick.  I will ignore the part about the British connection.

Speaking of Guinness - according to the Guinness people somewhere around 5.5 million pints of Guinness stout are consumed world-wide each and every day.  On St. Patrick’s Day that will grow to 13 million pints.  Drink responsibly people.

Sláinte!